Next in our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Whisper Theatre Collective about bringing their latest show to the festival. The show is described as: “Darkness… It’s where demons and monsters hide. We’re told to fear it. Mothman says otherwise. Come. Join Mothman. Dance. Sing. Play. Scream into the void. Sink into the Abyss. Embrace the darkness together. This show is performed mostly in the dark, lit by Mothman’s glowing red eyes.”
How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe?
The Mothman Cometh is about an endearing yet powerful cryptic creature who is recruiting minions of darkness. Mothman guides the audience through a variety of games, rituals, and happenings while trying to navigate the void to build community and embrace the darkness together. It’s played mostly in the dark, lit by Mothman’s glowing red eyes. How do we face and enjoy the darkness, the most natural state of things?
What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence?
The Mothman is a real, cryptic creature most famously spotted in Point Pleasant, West Virginia in 1966, where it’s said the creature caused a bridge to collapse and terrorized people in the night.
I was working on a psycho-geographical performance project and discovered the creature was spotted in Chicago in 2016, fueling the creation of a reporter character that reported live on the sightings as it got closer and closer to the room we were in, culminating in the reporter turning into the Mothman and disappearing into the darkness.
How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now?
After that first appearance, the Mothman character appeared in a Halloween party as one of a few rooms activated for performance. The audience lit a candle to summon me, I gave them a jump-scare, thanked them for the light, and cursed them. A friend then invited me to continue developing the character for an absurd, cabaret-style show of weird characters called Broken Planet Show, performing monthly across Chicago for 2 1/2 years before attending Ed Fringe in 2024. Mothman captured audiences, and earned his own show surrounding the idea of reclaiming the night and embracing our darknesses together.
What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now?
Mothman was built for fringe audiences, giving a unique experience in the dark with a strong character guiding us through the internal and external darknesses. The mission is to use play to build community around the darkness and make us not feel so alone in some of the scary things we face. And what better place to approach this universally than the largest international stage!
What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally?
It’s an immense achievement, especially as a self-producing artist. It’s an amazing opportunity to try to connect with people over the things I’m expressing, hopefully in an entertaining way. It feels like if I can draw a following here, then the show is strong enough to have an impact anywhere.
What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh?
The timeline. Prepping for Edinburgh begins almost immediately after the previous Ed Fringe ends, with working out a budget and applying to venues. January and February feel like a hurry-up-and-wait period, while March through May was never-ending admin and production management work. The drawn out timeline can cause a lot of anxiety, especially when you’re in a groove of daily admin work – when there’s seemingly nothing on left on the to-do list, the body and the nervous system can go into a panic of “oh no, what am I forgetting.”
Alls well in the end, though. There’s no right way to do the fringe, and there’s many resources, including the Ed Fringe emails themselves, to make sure you’re covering what you need to do.
If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is?
That they’re not alone. Whatever it is you’re feeling or facing, you’re not alone. And when you feel alone, to use that as a signal to reach out to community, just as hunger would have you reach for food.
How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it?
This character engages with the audience for 80-90% of the show. It needs an audience to help hone and polish it. I expect it, as always with several reps, to tighten the show and reveal opportunities for play and development.
Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe?
Those who are disturbed and need comfort; those who are comfortable and could use some disturbance; those who enjoy the darkness and revel in its freedom and power; and those who wish to marinate in the darkness to discover what they’re made of.
Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say?
Warning! Mothman will draw you further into the darkness to face powerful things at play. It is easy to succumb to the darkness, trapping yourself in the void for eternal harvesting. It’s vital that you remember your light, and, if you get lost, seek the light in those around you.
The Mothman Cometh runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6th-30th August 2026 (except 18th).